Serious ranchu keeping is a never ending journey. Just like love and passion, it is endless and cannot be measured by "ruler and pencil". There are many ups and many more downs....still the passionate keeper will doggedly forge ahead and dream and work for better ranchus whether through breeding or horning one's ranchu grooming skills. Breeding 2011 is done for the year and I am looking forward to next year breeding. Some of my ranchus which I hope to prepare for next year breeding season. Appreciate the tremendous support that fellow Singaporean hobbyists have shown towards me especially those who willingly offer some of their fishes to be used in my breeding programe.
It is with much sadness that I found out Lam Hong Acquarium has stopped its business. Many remember Lam Hong Acquarium as a local fish shop in Ang Moh Kio....famous for its aros and rays. I remember Lam Hong when it first started business in the 1960's... the shop was just outside Pierce Reservoir, along Thomson Road directly opposite the 3 Petrol Stations. I vividly remember the placing of all the various tanks in neat rows where the various ornamental fishes like goldfishes,mollies,red tail,kissing fish,angel fish,tetras,tiger barb etc etc were placed. Peter the boss...the tall langky guy who can be very rude to his customers and yet very helpful at the same time, was very systematic in the way he displayed his fishes.
I have lost touch with Peter since my youth(Seventies) and two years ago, together with a friend shopping for aros, we dropped by Lam Hong Acquarium. Peter with that old sparkle in his eyes still remember me.....I guess I must be one of his "golden oldies" back for a vist. Memories of the Seventies include legends like these....
The Seventies were all about justice, honour, righteouness and helping fellow beings etc etc etc...one of the many good reasons why the Seventies are remembered as the "Roaring Seventies".
It is with much difficulties that I managed to raise my Spawn C. Patience, frustration, hope, despair and tinkering here and there, I managed to keep a pool of bbrs/cbrs...hopefully I find some gems in them....and also hopefully they are not stunted as this is one of my most trying spawn.
Salute to the man(Dr Tan Cheng Bock) who stand by what he believes is right and do what is right. In my ranchu journey as and when I engages in deep conversation with hobbyists and friends alike, I always espouse friendship, good character and a certain amount of pride in how we conduct ourselves and how we enjoy our ranchu hobby. I always maintain.... give us a good man and we can make him a good ranchu keeper..and not the other way round.
Last year, one good brother misunderstood me when I said "We must be man of principle" and he thought that I meant he is a man of no principle. Finally two months after the miscommunication, he came by to "Pai Nian" and we had a long chat....he know I meant well.
Late last year, I was also involved in the forming of a Ranchu Club and I partake of it no more. As I always maintain... any developement of a ranchu club or organization must be done with pure hobbyists' intent. As many who know me know that I am an easy going person, but certain task especially something that is done for the good of the public must be done with sincerity and integrity....I will never compromise that principle.
Just in case any doubt that I am speaking from inexperiences and "old man" whinning...below is the exhibit of my standing.
I was gifted the plaque for my contribution to club activities and my push for the sharing and improvement of shepherd knowledge amongst fellow hobbyists.
Some of the bigger self bred...those that I groomed and hope the new owner will enjoy and carry on enjoying the beauty of top view ranchu. One piece that left me last weekend....
Yes I had dinner with the Japanese judges. During the dinner what transpired centre on linking up with Hammamatsu and Numazu breeders and establishing of study groups. Question on the ranchu calendar by month in Japan and who attend ranchu study group and how big study group and how and what the Japanese does in study groups. Also asked was the strength of all the different kais and how big are Hammamatsu and Numazu vs the other players from other regions.
Question on ranchu hierachy and who is who and their seniority in the All Japan Ranchu Association. Also asked was the Nichiran Standard and where can we find the documents on Nichiran Standard. I produced the Japanese article that was forwarded by bro Tong of Godfish2U of Thailand and asked whether that article is the Nichiran Standard...I was told that it is a skeleton explanation of the Nichiran Standard and the Nichiran Standard is explained in one of the Japanese ranchu book.
I also learned that although Master Ijima is the mentor of Ozawa San, Ozawa San does not use Master Ijima fishes in his breeding....according to him as translated by Hanajima San..Ozawa will use Kageyama in one side of his breeding...so to say like if he uses his own female, he will use Kageyama male to match and vice versa. In the past he might used Master Ijima fishes in his breeding, but currently he doesn't.
When I probed Master Yatake and Master Ito Nobuo about whom they respect the most amongst all the Japanese breeders, I was given a very thoughtful education on the "life cycle" of Japanese breeders. Breeders started off as youth learning the rope of ranchu husbandry and by the time they are in their 20's in age, some will embark on serious ranchu breeding/keeping and showing. The best age for breeders to excel are in their 30's and if they are good by their 40's they would have put their footprints amongst the great Japanese ranchu breeders. By their 50's onwards, ranchu breeders' breeding intensity will be on their decline as age and energy will not make intense breeding sustainable. There are exception to the general rule and names like Master Ono and Master Kashino were mentioned as older breeders who are still producing quality fishes. Probed on the "Star" breeder of the moment that is on everybody's lip, Master Yatake mentioned Master Suzuki Kazuo as the "happening" of the moment...Master Suzuki Kazuo's fishes are very well sought after....I totally agree.
I am always very appreciative of those who treated me well and I will reciprocate. This dinner was an invitation which I was very reluctant to accept...there was no intention on my part of knowing the judges for personal gains. For the record I did groomed the below Yatake and Ozawas for the competition, but I withdrew them (for the record) after I attended the dinner with Judges Yatake and Ozawa. I was persuaded to attend because the Hosts told me.... opportunity like this are hard to come by and hobbyists must try to learn as much as possible through this type of engagement. Further the Hosts persuaded me to attend as they feel I am the right person to probe the Japanese Masters on "conducting of workshop and study group".I shared what transpired at the dinner and leave readers to think for themselves all those rumours floating around. I am resign to the fact that my ranchu journey have changed.... it will still be enriching albeit less in the public eyes.
My Yatake San ranchu
Current picture...this piece was not shown at ASRS tho she swim great....so those spies need not speculate!!
Ozawa Female....in"spied" of her beauty not shown at ASRS 2010
2011 Spawn C @ 58 Days....almost given up for dead as after the PP treatment for Costia, the head all tapered and way under size....
March 11 2011 is a significant day in history...sadly so as many Japanese lost their lives because of nature's wrath. A 8.9 Richter scale earthquake hit northern Japan that sent tidal waves so devastating that it ripped through all the costal towns flattening many homes and many lives were lost.
Among those whose lives are in peril or killed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis are ranchu keepers....many unbeknown to us. In AJRS 2009, there was this great winner by the name of Master Masaru Matsuda
For ranchu hobbyists/keepers outside of Japan, there are not much information about the welfare and well being of all the ranchu breeders/masters in Japan.... we can only glean information through words of mouth, but nevertheless will like to wish all of them well and speedy recovery from this huge disaster. Master Masaru is in Miyagi and very close to the epicenter of the earthquake.... hope he and his family are well and safe.
My fries are doing well after another round of Costia attack, but through experimenting....I am treating Costia attacks successfully.
Hanajima San....an accomplished Orchid Judge, Horticulturalist, Hotel Owner and Japanese Ranchu Enthusiast and Importer. There are so much I want to know about this Japanese gentleman...I feel he have a wealth of ranchu knowledge that can be shared with hobbyists...if only I have a chance to spend some quiet time with him. I had that chance when I visited his ranchu farm late last year, but it was a short visit.
Hanajima San studied in America, keep a home in Florida and travel frequently from his business/home in Bangkok to Japan and USA. As it was a short visit, there was not much that I can enquire and learn from Hanajima San...I really like to understand the relationship and kinship between the various breeders and Hanajima San will be a great educator on that.
The ranchu farm is situated on the upper floor of the hotel car park...unique and easily accesible through the hotel lobby. Contrary to what I was told, I find the concrete ponds well kept and all the fishes very healthy. Hanajima is hands-on and know all his fishes and he shared some great photos of his import collections.
Ranchu farm on upper floor of the hotel carpark
My three group of fries ran into serious trouble over the weekend. Last Friday had a miscommunication of instructions to my son and he poured all the live daphnia to feed the fries. Came home later in the evening and all the fries floating and by Sunday morning the three groups of fries were down with severe costia. Costia is very fast in bringing down fries and the parisites is very potent causing lots of flashing and some fries even keep on flipping over. Salt and acriflavinne doesn't help and I have to resort to PP to bring the parisites under control...Lost almost 30%...some died and some just not worth salvaging. This is the sad part of being a breeder...its very painful and gut wrenching.....
Nevertheless some more spawns coming up and looking forward to better days.
The first impression that strike when I met Boss Ranchu is not his fishes, but his personality....a very cheerful, warm family man with an ever ready smile. Even his size is not typical Thai....I think he got some Northern Chinese blood in his ancestry...just a wild guess as I did not get a chance to ask him...he is tall and "big frame" like the Northern Chinese.
Boss Ranchu stay in a huge bungalow very close to where the Crown Prince of Thailand residence is. His home is in a peaceful neighbourhood where security guards mann the main entrance to the estate. On one side of his garden, he built his ranchu farm....neat rows of tubs with proper piping and ventilation. Boss Ranchu is a perfectionist...his set up is well thought out...even his engineered air pump system is an eye opener.
Its a great experience seeing and finally pieceing together why Boss Ranchu fishes have a distinctive look that is "A" typical Boss Ranchu. This guy is so in love with his fishes...so passionate a ranchu keeper that his tub are absolutely clean...he move his fishes to a new tub of fresh, clean water every day....liken to stay in a 5 Star hotel...fishes well fed, water pristine and tub not crowded at all. He shared his feeding technique and as he is a full time family man, ranchu keeping provide a very good outlet for him to use his time looking after his family and play ranchus ...all at home....how marvelous can one's life get!!
Live bloodworms...one big plastic bag full about Sing $3.00
I saw his latest imports of Kawaii, Takao, and Tashiro. The fishes are excellent specimens and I particularly like the Kawaii. Below are some fishes that just came out from quarentine...by now the fishes would, with Boss Ranchu tender loving care blossomed to excellent young Nisai.
Its an eye opener witnessing Boss Ranchu farm....its the ideal and perfect ranchu set up... but sadly not easily replicated in our apartment style ranchu keeping in Singapore...."SPACE". For what I witnessed and experienced visting Boss Ranchu, some private moments at his home and at Hanajima where we were looking at fishes..that moment of hobbyists' excitement and intuitive communication will forever be ingrained in my mind...Boss Ranchu know fishes and talk fishes....love fishes like he love good food and that is contagious!!
“Anywhere is walking distance, if you've got the time.”
Stephen Wright
Last November, I had the golden opportunity of visiting Mr Ae, RanchuStar Farm in Bangkok. Mr Ae or P'AE as he is known to his Thai friends is a humble and unassuming hobbyist with great knowledge in grooming and breeding ranchus.
Mr Ae visited Singapore on two different occasions and I was priviledged to meet him and tap his vast ranchu knowledge...thus there was much excitment and desire to see first hand his farm set up and his fishes.
While I was at Mr Ae's farm, I chanced upon Master Kashino San and he shared a few pointers with me. I also took the opportunity to ask Master Kashino San whether he uses Kageyama in his breedings and he said "yes he does use Master Kageyama bloodline." During Master Yatake San visit to Singapore, Master Yatake mentioned Master Kashino as one of a small handful of top ranchu breeders that he highly respect.
Past few days been staying up late taking care of my young fries and also waking up early to try and spawn another few more spawns. The weather been very ideal....rain in the day and very cooling night and early morning.
Some 12 days old fries....
"Everything negative... pressure, challenges,
is all an opportunity for me to rise"......Kobe Bryant
A hobby should be all about fun and enjoyment. I have done my breeding for the year... just as I thought. To me, breeding ranchus is a money losing game. Even before I had my first spawn, I had done my math..."there is no money in ranchu breeding". Passionate hobbyists breed because of that "grey matters" in their brain that urge them, put their energy into overdrive..... drive them mad to tinker again and again just to see whether they can breed better specimens that thrill them no end and yet not satisfied even when they succeed or fail to keep on doing it again and again. Just like Freddie Mercury ....
"If I had to do it again, yes, why not, why not. I'd do it slightly differently."
Serious ranchu breeding is a long journey of self discovery...a journey that seems to have no end in sight. When one improve, there are always so many other attributes that also need improving. Serious ranchu breeding cannot be learned overnight nor can it be shared over a simple cup of drinks by fellow hobbyists. To breed good ranchus entail many disciplines and much preparations and thoughts have to be continously explored, noted and experimented during the course of ranchu husbandry. Unless one breed and get their hands dirtied then can one understand serious ranchu breeding. It is very disturbing to see self appointed "Master" spouting deprecating and sweeping remarks about the quality of our local breeding standard without even spawning a batch of ranchu fries before and not to say whether can recognise fertilized eggs or even recognising whether a picture is a ranchu fry or a butterfly....simply baffling!!
Like one very good student of ranchu and somebody quietly respected in the small ranchu community in Singapre repeatedly remind fellow hobbyist friends on their individual ranchu journey...in his words...
"If you wanna share or teach another fellow hobbyist...make sure what you share or teach is something you have done and understand and not from heresaid and unfounded."
This is the story of an accomplished chef. He always cut off the end of his ham when he cook. When asked why he cut of the ends, he said it makes the ham taste better. Because he is an accomplished cook, everyone believe him and many also cut the ends off their hams. One day, someone who know nothing about cooking or the accomplishments of the chef, questioned him on this practice. The questioner was not satisfied with the answer and retorted with a "why?". The chef exclaimed that he is an accomplished cook and his culinary prowess always proved he is right. The questioner replied "but it does not make any sense, why would cutting off the end of the ham make it taste better....please explain?
The chef had no answer other than he had always done it this way and he always just taste his ham for proof. The questioner would not relent and formed hypothesis of his own ...... "was it the bone or some other gland that was removed? or maybe it let the juices out..." The questioner reason back and forth looking for a reason the chef would agree to until the chef grew tired and dismissed him. In a moment of reflection, the chef became troubled that he could not answer why the ham was better when he cut off the end.....he is a great chef and had to be right for his own self worth. As the day went on, this began to bother him more and more. He searched his memory to discover how he knew this unarguable fact. He reflected as to where he learned this until finally it dawned upon him that he was taught this by his mother. He called his mother to ask her why the ham tasted better when the end was cut off. To this the mother replied....what are you talking about? I cut the end off the ham because I did not have a pot big enough to cook it in and that was the only way to make it fit(Story was shared by an American hobbyist)
Lotsa time as we play ranchu, we follow what was passed down from friends, from the nets etc etc etc and over times we become creature of our own habits..... we become routine keepers and dare not experiment to improve our skills. Below I share a video of one of my recent spawn where I try to make a 3 pivot tail split into a 4 pivot tail....it is for my learning/sharing experience....enjoy
The reason for using a nail file is....
A fused tail have a thick center bone that fused the left and right lobe of the tail in the center whereby where there used to be a split, the tail is joined. By filing the thick bone in the middle, I am trying to thin it out so that the tip of the tail in the middle will eventually split up. I heard it will fuse back again...hope to see and experience it myself.
It was almost like coming back from Sabbatical leave...my blog has stagnated and some friends were asking why. My last post see me standing at a crossroad and I have travelled quite a bit since then....climbed a few mountains and crawled up a few hills...the views at times can be exhilirating and many a times befittingly sad and agonishing.
2010 Spawn A & B
There wasn't much of Spawn A that I kept. A Tosai picture of a Spawn A specimen...
I did better with Spawn B and this spawn have taught me much on getting the right mix of good seed fishes and I am glad that there are quite a number of spawn B now Nisai age....for my breeding development Spawn B have quite a few samples that hopefully will guide me in learning how to breed good ranchus.
Some other Spawn B that are with hobbyists...
My favourite Spawn B that did very well at last year Comps....
Year 2011 started with 2 spawns and I hope I can spawn again as the weather is raining hard and thus very conducive to have a spawn or two.. A sample of 2011 Spawn B....
